


stay for awhile

by liebstes



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, Inspired by Twitter, M/M, i love posting at the worst time of night, this will give you cavities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:34:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27653501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liebstes/pseuds/liebstes
Summary: “Always a pleasure, Char– oh!” Zagreus yelps, having turned around for a final goodbye. “And Hermes! Didn’t see you there, mate. You on business here?”His wings flutter anxiously, mouth fiercely closed. The smoke is too thick to swallow, he’d probably gag if he tried to. “Mhm!” he mutters, feeling his cheeks grow red.Zagreus tilts his head, considering. “Uh, Hermes?”“M– Mhm?” he tries again, resting an elbow on Charon’s shoulder. That was casual, right? He looked normal. Probably.“You all right, mate? You’re being… unusually quiet.”
Relationships: Charon/Hermes (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 559





	stay for awhile

**Author's Note:**

  * For [excentricAnthropologist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/excentricAnthropologist/gifts).



> finally some charon/hermes!! ive become increasingly obsessed with them and was overjoyed when someone donated to my ko-fi with a request for them. thank you ExcentricAnthropologist for requesting some steamy... chermes? haron? it ended up being pretty short and sweet, i hope you don't mind! 
> 
> this fic is inspired by AMAZING art from @stinkbrat on twitter, the comic will be linked [HERE](https://twitter.com/stinkbrat/status/1326608034924294144?s=12), he is one of my favorite artists rn so please check him out!! the comic is pretty sfw so i just expanded on it! if smut isn't your thing, stop reading at the *
> 
> lastly, my overwhelming hatred for zeus is very obvious in this >:-)

It wasn’t often he was able to traverse this deep in the Underworld but Gods, if he wasn’t grateful for the opportunity. Normally his work entitled taking the souls from Thanatos, trying to ensure they each had the proper fare before delivering them to Charon at his boat, steal a quick peck perhaps, and wham bam thank you ma’am, he was gone. 

Hermes would love to spend more time with his boatman, mind you, but mortals just would not stop dying– even when politely asked. After that, well, he was out of ideas. 

Though, he thought, it was pointless to worry about the past when he had a chance with his partner _now,_ thanks to a message sent to him by ol’ Zeus. He never read the messages he was tasked with, _no sir,_ he wouldn’t have the stature he did if Hermes was a nosy parchment-reader, but he couldn’t escape Zeus’ rant about the subject. 

_“Send this to Charon, will you? I have offered my services to his shop, as I’m sure you’re aware, but young Zagreus never seems to accept them! There simply must be something wrong on his end, I’m afraid.”_

_“Mhm, sure, Lord Uncle. Of course! I really do have to be going–”_

_“Dionysus tells me countless times of how his offerings are accepted! It’s ludacrius, really. I only mean to assist the poor godling, you know… that Charon is fairly odd, is he not?”_

He almost stayed to defend the morals of the boatman and gently suggest the God’s offerings were maybe not that useful, but, well, he valued his time. And his life.

And thus, here he was, wings fluttering even more rapidly than usual out of excitement to finally catch a _break_ with his partner. The last moment they’d caught together had been a few moments around the chambers of Styx, after the young prince had dashed away to surely be slain by his father; Hermes had arrived with a fresh batch of souls. 

They’d been caught off guard rather hastily by the Lord himself, requesitng Charon to escort him home. Hades hadn’t mentioned the even-more-unkempt than usual style of Hermes’ robes, and frankly, he was glad. 

The sight of Charon in the distance is a familiar one. The heat of Asphodel was new, sure, but the boatman standing beside a set of three offerings was rather commonplace. Not to say it didn’t put an extra beat in his ever-flitting heart.

Charon had already noticed him, of course, but let out a swath of smoke as he approached, croaking, “ _Hgnnnnh,_ hrrrrrhn…” 

“And hello to you too, boss! Asphodel treating you alright? Bit warm for me, I’m afraid, but not enough to deter me from traversing here, of course! Got a message for you, from crankly old Zeus. Not that nice of one, mind you. Always complaining about something, that one!” 

One doesn’t work with their coworker for aeons without picking up on their body language, and the two were no exception. Charon’s lack of actual words deterred him slightly at first, making him feel their work relationship was a bit one-sided. Now, fortunately, he’s finally tuned to understand each shift of his shoulders, tightening of his grip, amount of smoke released, how thick it is, how much… everything, basically. 

Hence, the large puff of smoke colored slightly darker than normal was quick to understand. 

“Oh, I know you don’t like him, dear! Not many of us do, mind you, but we’ve all got to put up with him. Including you! I can send a message back for you, something to get him off your case, perhaps,” Hermes offers, hovering a few feet from his partner. The tilt of his head in response made the God grin. 

“Right! Will do. Now, as the prince gone through already? I’m guessing he hasn’t, I’ve usually a pretty good sense about that sort of thing. You’d think with those flames on his feet he’d be faster, eh? Have you set up shop early for a reason?” he asks, tilting his head. 

Charon hesitates, smoke spilling out in a steady stream. It allows Hermes to get a good look, noting the familiar heavy gold chains and rings, his wide hat, the hair he keeps mostly hidden. Nothings changed, of course, but he appreciates it nonetheless. 

He finally answers, extending a hand toward Hermes himself. “Guggghhhhh.” 

“Me?” he echoes. “You knew I was coming? Why, aren’t you clever, boss! I wonder what you could possibly wish to do while we wait!” Hermes teases, eyes crinkling at the thought. 

Charon pulls one of his favorite tricks– puffing out a large cloud of amethyst smoke, slowly shaping into a heart. It was not the first time Hermes had seen this, but Gods, he hopes it’s not the last. 

“No need to swoon me, love! Though I appreciate the sentiment, really. You never do cease to impress me,” he says, floating closer to the boatman. Charon tilts his head, embarrassed. His grip on his paddle is loose and Hermes takes it easily, thumbing at the grain. 

“You won’t need this for a bit, right? I could set it down right here?” he asks inquisitively, wishing for the man’s hands to be free to grab well… whatever he’d like, really. 

Charon nods, “Hmmmn,” a small stream of smoke escaping in agreement. Hermes can feel his eyes on him as he sets the paddle against the far corner wall next to some vases. He turns to see the boatman with an intensity in his gaze he recognizes and loves dearly. 

“Feeling a bit impatient after the last time, are we? Must say I’m in agreement, as well! I doubt Hades is going to be barging in here, you know,” he says slyly, enjoying the tic of Charon’s hands as he grasps his robes. 

“Mmmmnhhh ruhhhgggn,” Charon moans, eyeing the empty dock on the opposite side of the chamber. 

“Oh, he won’t be in for a while, love, promise. He’s got Artemis’ spearhead with him, which means he’s got to deal with all those witches! Should slow him down a bit, I think,” Hermes says, floating back over to his partner. Still, Charon remains hesitant, gaze locked on the lava surrounding the dock. 

“You doubt my wealth of information?” Hermes jokes. “Understandable, really! Just one peck couldn’t hurt, though. Just a quick one. I’ll smack one on you and be on my way, promise!” 

Charon’s smoke comes out in bursts, symbolic of laughter. “Rehhhrrr,” he says. Hermes grins. 

“I’m glad you agree, love. I’ll never understand those who are scared of you,” he says, floating closer. “You’re like a sleepy little dog. Oh, have you seen those before? Quite adorable, really, I wonder if–” 

“Hhhhrrrrrn,” Charon groans, cutting him off by reaching for his face with a large hand. Hermes allows it to cradle him, turning his cheek to feel the coolness, the smooth feeling of his skin. He’s rather close to the smoke pouring out of his mouth now, it’s faint scent of lavender reminiscent of arms wrapped around him, of coming _home._

“Right, right,” he mutters, gazing at Charon. “I’ll be quiet now, really. You’re just so distracting with your…” he trails off when the boatman leans forward to nuzzle him, face hiding in his neck. Hermes closes his eyes, relishing their closeness, and allows his legs to float open wider in invitation. 

“C’mere, love, let me see you,” he says, tugging Charon back until he faces him. “There you are,” he mutters, tracing a finger under his eye socket, it’s violet hue growing brighter. Hermes grins, swiping a thumb over his bare mouth, breathing in the air. 

“Ggggnnnnh, hurrrr,” Charon groans quietly, making Hermes laugh. 

“I am not a tease!” he exclaims. “I just like appreciating you, that’s all. What, you want me to _not_ touch your handsome face? Preposterous!” 

Charon’s smoke comes out in puffs once more, laughing. He doesn’t reply other than that, instead leaning forward to meet Hermes, hands grasping his waist. 

He can take a hint, luckily, and kisses the boatman in response. It’s an intoxicating experience, really, to mouth along Charon’s bare bones, breathing in the smoke that only tastes sweet and pleasant unlike the kind he inevitably inhales at Dionysus’ feasts. He breathes it in greedily, taking anything Charon will give him. 

The smoke is quite warmer than Charon himself, who tends to run cold– hence all the layers he adorns. Though it should be overwhelming in addition to the heat of the lava surrounding them Hermes finds his head tilting, open directly over Charon’s as a particularly large puff comes out and he gasps, mouth filling with the hint of lavender and love. 

Suddenly, it feels like he’s doused in cold water. There’s a ping in his brain somewhere and he jumps back, mouth closing instinctively as the sound of Zagreus approaching reaches their chamber. 

“Hmmmngggh,” Charon groans, summoning his paddle from the corner just in time for the prince to step off his makeshift boat. 

Not wanting to scare the prince with his actual physical presence, Hermes flutters behind Charon, crouching as he hears the prince hum. His mouth is trapped shut, smoke swirling around inside as he ponders the possible consequences of swallowing it. Surely he wouldn’t die! He was a _God!_

Right…? 

“Hello again! Just this for me, thanks,” he hears Zagreus say with the accompaniment of coins rattling. The prince sighs, “Off to Lernie, I guess. I’ll see you in Elysium then?” 

“Nuuuuhhhrrr,” Charon confirms, smoke piling out in anxious waves the prince is oblivious to. 

“Right, then.” 

Surely he must be leaving, so Hermes sticks his head out above Charon’s shoulder to indeed see the back of Zagreus leaving. 

“Always a pleasure, Char– oh!” Zagreus yelps, having turned around for a final goodbye. “And Hermes! Didn’t see you there, mate. You on business here?” 

His wings flutter anxiously, mouth fiercely closed. The smoke is too thick to swallow, he’d probably gag if he tried to. “Mhm!” he mutters, feeling his cheeks grow red.

Zagreus tilts his head, considering. “Uh, Hermes?”

“M– Mhm?” he tries again, resting an elbow on Charon’s shoulder. That was casual, right? He looked normal. Probably.

“You all right, mate? You’re being… unusually quiet.” 

His mouth feels like it’s going to burst, and he can tell there’s no use humming anymore. He opens it with a nervous, “Ahah,” clearing his throat.

The smoke spills out heavily, surrounding him and Charon. “Yes! Well–” he cuts himself off, unsure what to say. It’s not often he finds himself speechless.

“Right,” Zagreus says, looking dangerously close to laughing, and boards the raft with one last glance at the pair. 

Hermes finally coughs, exhaling the last of the smoke. 

“Well, that could’ve gone better,” he says, getting silent laughter in reply. “At least it wasn’t Senior again, I’m afraid that wouldn’t have gone over too well with the ol’ boss, I’ll tell you that.”

*

“You aren’t mad, are you?” Hermes asks, fully aware of Charons preference to keep his personal life entirely private, even from those close to him like the prince. 

Charon tilted his head, smoke curling out to reach Hermes. Once again he took a deep breath, exhaling to form the shape of a heart. 

Hermes grinned. “And I love you too! I’m glad you thought it was funny, boss. If that happened in front of anyone else I think I wouldn’t hear the end of it! But that Zagreus is a good chap, I think.” 

Charon nodded, reaching out to grasp Hermes once more. The way he was floating forced Charon to bend his head up to meet his gaze, a welcome change in their height difference. 

“You’re insatiable, you know that?” he joked, though his own hands reaching out for Charon suggested he wasn’t any different. 

The hue in his eyes grew brighter as Charon groaned, “Gugghrrr, _mmurrrrrn._ ”

“My, my! That’s not very appropriate for the workplace, now is it, dear associate?” 

Charon, seemingly done with his jokes, pulls Hermes down again to kiss. He goes willingly, once again opening his mouth to breathe the boatman in, tipping back his wide hat to allow for a better angle. 

The boatman groans– not a sound of words but rather pleasure as he thumbs at the band surrounding Hermes’ thigh, slipping one finger under it before squeezing the muscle. Hermes sighs, content with his touch, and presses one last kiss to his face before pulling back to tinker with his jewelry. 

“Not that you don’t look dashing, love, but do you think we could lose this? And perhaps the giant golden collar as well? It’s hindering me a bit from my goal, I think,” he says, tracing a finger along the etchings in the metal. 

Charon moans a sign of agreement and Hermes is already lifting off the gold, fluttering down gently to place it beside them. He always forgets how heavy the damn collar is, wings fluttering extra hard to keep it afloat. It’s worth it, though, for the sight of Charon in his bare robes. 

“There he is,” Hermes mutters, reaching out to thumb at where skin turns into bones near the base of his neck. Strong, corded forearms reach out to place a hand under his tunic, a beautiful contrast of light gray against his tan skin. 

“Ggghrrrr,” Charon says quietly as Hermes leans forward to kiss along the strip of skin above his robe, sucking marks intermittently. He can feel the boatman move his hand further up his thigh, pausing as his fingertips pass under the bottom edge of his tunic. 

“Oh, don’t get shy on me now, love. I think we’re well past that, don’t you?” he teases, bringing his own hand down to stroke Charon’s lower belly, teasing 

“ _Mmmmngggrr,_ ” Charon says, puffing smoke directly into his face. 

“Hah! You know, you’re much funnier than your brother. At least Thanatos, I guess, as I haven’t met the other one.” 

Charon grumbled as if saying, _can we not discuss my family during sex._

“Right, right, apologies!” he rambles. He lays his hand over Charon’s on his thigh, guiding it higher. He’s bare underneath, as per usual, yet the feeling of his partner tracing the delicate area still makes him shudder. 

Charon’s grasp turns slightly more insistent as he pulls Hermes close, blowing smoke in his mouth and finally wrapping his hand around his half-hard cock at the same time, making him groan. His brain feels fuzzy at the lavender scent accompanied by Charon stroking him, slowly. 

“You too, love, c’mon,” Hermes mutters, blindly groping the robes that grace the boatman. Charon obligues, pulling the long fabric up and holding it to his chest allowing the God to explore the newly exposed area. 

Hermes suddenly wishes they had a bed, or just a soft surface in general, really, as their standing position is feeling a little awkward. He’s hovering with his legs bent as if seated, with Charon floating the few inches off the ground per usual. 

“Hhheeeeer.” 

_That’s new,_ he thinks. Charon doesn’t look upset or mad or angry, really, so he takes it as a positive. Thoughts of their positioning are discarded as he takes his hands to the boatman’s abdomen, pointedly ignoring his cock. 

“Hhhhhhrrrr,” Charon moans again, making Hermes pause. 

“You alright, love? Not quite sure what you mean there, I’m afraid.” 

Charon doesn’t audibly answer, instead pulling Hermes close and placing their mouths together, blowing smoke that’s more airy than usual. Hermes moans at the action, returning the movement of his hands as the blindly feels Charon’s hips, squeezing. 

He finally takes Charon in hand, making the hand on his own length tighten in response. They both groan, Hermes being the first to continue stroking. 

“You like that, love? When I touch you like this?” he asks, fully aware of the answer. 

Charon breathes out large puffs; not as small as his laughter, and darker– arousal. Hermes grins. 

“You do, look at you. So good–” he praises, cutting himself off as Charon thumbs at the head of his cock. 

“Hhhurrrr,” Charon groans, hands moving to grab his hips and pulling them close, until Hermes’ legs widen fully around him and their hips are flush, lengths meeting. 

“Needy are you?” Hermes asks, breathless. He cradles Charon’s face with one hand as he wraps his other around both of them. The boatman leans forward to half-nuzzle him, hips jerking. 

“It’s okay, so am I,” he teases, “wish we had more time, you know. Wanna feel you inside me, love, have you fully. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” 

“Hhhmmm,” Charon groans, hands tightening on Hermes as he leans closer. They’re entirely flushed, it’s hard to tell where Hermes ends and his lover begins, really. The cloud of smoke around them has grown, hovering around their heads. Hermes tilts his head back, breathing it in as his hand works faster. The heat of Charon’s length against him is almost overwhelming in addition to the environment, but Gods, he loves it. 

“Next time,” he promises, “I’ll move my schedule around, figure something out–” he gasps as one of Charon’s hand pushes his aside, taking it’s place holding their cocks. It’s slightly bigger than his own palm, and the coolness of it provides delicious relief from the heat. 

“Charon, love, you’re so–” he mutters, eyes closing as his head falls backward, lost in Charon’s hand on his cock and head resting in the junction of his neck and shoulder. 

“Hheeerrrrm,” Charon groans, louder than usual. 

“ _Heeeerrrmmm._ ” 

He tries to gather his coherency once more, to ask Charon what he means, but is interrupted by the loudest sound yet– “Heerrrmmms.”

Something clicks in his mind. 

“You’re saying my name,” he gasps.

“Hheeerrrmmmeess,” Charon groans, exhaling an extraordinary amount of smoke as he nods. 

And _oh,_ what that does to him. The pressure in his belly grows as Charon speeds his strokes, feeling dazed at the realization of what he’s just done. 

“Again,” he whispers. “Please.” 

Charon groans into his ear and he’s _gone,_ hips jerking as the hand around him tightens, working him through it. It doesn’t take long for Charon to follow, cumming silently, evidence spilt all over the both of them. 

The post-orgasm haze is making his thoughts difficult to navigate, but Gods, Charon said his _name._ He knew the boatman could speak, it was just his own language. He’d never attempted the tongue that Hermes and all his kin spoke, at least not in front of him. 

Hermes leans forward to kiss gingerly all over his face, around his eye sockets, hand tangling in his silver hair. “Amazing,” he whispers. 

Charon blows a heart of smoke directly into his face, causing him to laugh. 

“This was good,” Hermes says, not yet content to part with his lover. “You make taking breaks easier, you know.” 

“Hhhrrrrrnmm, guuhrrr.”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! PLEASE let me know what you thought, especially as this is my first time writing this ship. i always try to write in the main POV's style, so since it was Hermes i kinda rambled and added unnecessary words? i hoped it sounds like him! 
> 
> ill put a link to my twitter [HERE](https://twitter.com/shortkingzag), feel free to follow or check out my linktree!! <3


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